Araghchi raps ‘deafening Western silence’ over Israel’s nuclear arsenal
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Friday accused Western powers of turning a blind eye to Israel’s reported expansion of its nuclear arsenal, calling their silence “deafening” and proof of double standards.
“Iran has long warned that Western hysteria over nuclear proliferation in our region is all fluff,” Araghchi wrote on X. “It is therefore not a surprise that there is deafening Western silence over the apparent expansion of the only nuclear weapons arsenal in our region—the nukes in the hands of their genocidal ally.”
He attached an Associated Press report citing satellite images of Israel’s Dimona nuclear site, which experts said may point to work on a new heavy water reactor or facilities linked to weapons assembly. Israel is widely believed to possess between 90 and 300 nuclear warheads, though the figure has never been officially confirmed. Israel is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its program is not open to international inspections.
By contrast, Western powers have long pressured Iran over its nuclear program, which Tehran insists is purely civilian. In June, Israel and the United States launched a war on Iran, accusing the Islamic Republic of moving toward a nuclear weapon with no concrete evidence, a conflict that derailed ongoing negotiations over Tehran’s atomic activities.